Press Releases

New Survey Shows People Unaware Of the Danger of Sunlight At Home and In the Car

International Window Film Association Warns and Advises Consumers to Seek Protection

While “stay out of the sun” is a familiar refrain to many of us, the majority of people are not aware that the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can exact significant damage to their skin and eyes, even while inside their homes or driving in their cars, according to a new survey among 1,094 U.S. adults released today by the non-profit International Window Film Association (IWFA) conducted by Radius Global Market Research.

The results are surprising:

More than two-thirds of U.S. adults believe that when inside the house the sun doesn’t damage their skin, and 69% say that their eyes are protected from the sun’s UV rays when they’re inside.

82% said they don’t need to wear sunscreen when they’re inside the house.

100 million adults* believe that the windows in their vehicle protect their skin and eyes from the sun’s UV rays, even though a JAMA Ophthalmologystudy found that the average side-window of a vehicle may only block about 70% of dangerous UV rays, resulting in inadequate protection.

More than 52% of adults said they worry about the sun fading their drapes, carpets and home furnishings.

Some of these are dangerous misconceptions. According to the IWFA, the sunlight streaming through a home or a car’s windows contains invisible Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that pass through unprotected glass on sunny and cloudy days, and account for 90% of the sun’s damaging rays reaching earth. These rays can deeply penetrate several layers of skin, which is particularly alarming considering that rates of the deadliest form of skin cancer, invasive melanoma, have risen steadily since 2009, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Dermatology.

Darrell Smith, IWFA Executive Director, said, “In many cases it doesn’t occur to people that the sun coming through their windows when sitting by a window at home, or while driving, can put them at increased risk for not only wrinkles and premature aging of the skin, but also UVA-related skin cancer and damage to their eyes. The good news is that professionally installed window film blocks up to 99.9% of UVA rays and offers a practical and cost-effective way to help dramatically protect skin, eyes, furnishings and more.”

Window film is a thin sheet of window coating, professionally and permanently installed, that delivers a range of high‐value benefits in addition to blocking up to 99.9% of UVA rays, such as lower energy costs, more even interior temperatures and more protection from fading.

This survey was conducted online within the US by Radius Global Market Research on behalf of the IWFA from September 12-14, 2017 among 1,094 U.S. adults ages 18+. The sample is representative of US adult population in the US. The survey was conducted utilizing an online panel of respondents. A complete survey method is available upon request.

*240,000,000 adults from 2010 US census number .42 = 100,800,000

About the International Window Film Association

The International Window Film Association (IWFA) (www.iwfa.com) is a unified industry body of window film dealers, distributors, and manufacturers that facilitates the growth of the window film industry though the use of education, research, advocacy and consumer awareness. The organization builds alliances with trade associations, utilities and government agencies to advance dealers’ and distributors’ businesses and provide value to their customers. Learn more at www.iwfa.com, on Facebook and Twitter.